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Oliver Paipoonge is a
township in the Canadian province of
Ontario, located directly west of the city of Thunder Bay. The municipality was formed on January 1,
1998, with the amalgamation of the former Township of Oliver and
Township of Paipoonge. It contains several communities within its
boundaries, including Kakabeka Falls, Murillo, Rosslyn, Slate River
Valley and Stanley. The remainder of the municipality is agricultural or rural.

Politics

The municipal office of Oliver Paipoonge is located in the village
of Murillo. The current mayor of Oliver
Paipoonge is Lucia Kloosterhuis;
first elected as mayor in 2003, having previously served as a
councillor in both Oliver Paipoonge and the former Township of
Paipoonge. The first female elected as mayor in Oliver Township was
Iris Calvert, in 1991. Previously, the Municipality of Paipoonge
had not elected a female as mayor.

Geography

The geography of Oliver Paipoonge transitions from river valleys in
the south, through flat open farmland and rolling hills in the
central areas, to the rough Canadian
Shield in the north. The most notable geographic feature is
Kakabeka
Falls, located on the western edge of the municipality in
Kakabeka Falls Provincial
Park.

Transportation

The municipality is served by three major highways. Highways
61 and 130 are located in the southeast
corner of the municipality and serves as the backbone of the Slate
River Valley, an agricultural community. Highway 130 connects to
the Trans-Canada Highway
(Highway 11/17) at Rosslyn, the largest settlement.
It also serves as the main street for Kakabeka Falls. Approximately
half of the population of Oliver Paipoonge lives within five
kilometres of Highway 11/17. Highway 102 runs through the northeast
corner of the municipality. A small grass airstrip is located
northeast of Kakabeka Falls, and two rail lines run through the
municipality.

Economy

Oliver Paipoonge's primary industry is agriculture, followed with
tourism focused around Kakabeka Falls and forest products
manufacturing in Murillo and Rosslyn. Many residents commute to
work either to Thunder Bay or the surrounding woodlands.

Communities

Murillo contains a post office, two stores, the
Murillo Bakery featuring Rye Breads, a municipal hall, and a
tavern. New commercial enterprises, located in the Rubin Industrial
Park, include a well driller, self-storage facility, a forest
products manufacturer, and the Rural Roots child care facility.
Each year the village hosts the Murillo Fall Fair, which features
chariot races.

The village is the location of the government offices for the
Municipality of Oliver Paipoonge as well as the Oliver Paipoonge
Police and the Lakehead Rural Planning Board.

Murillo was originally a water stop on
the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR).
The stop was named after the Spanish painter Bartolomé Estéban
Murillo, as the CPR was at that time using the names of
painters to name the many new communities springing up along its
trans-Canadian line.

Rosslyn contains numerous commercial enterprises
and is home to approximately 1,000 people and the Paipoonge Museum.
A new golf course and housing subdivision,
named King George's Park, are currently being developed in a former
gravel pit. There is also a skating rink
here, and a community centre beside it.

As Kakabeka Falls' economy is based on tourism, its main street is
lines with tourist oriented businesses such as hotels, restaurants,
and camping sites. A three-day street
fair is hosted in the village every August. Kakabeka Falls has
a public school, called Kakabeka Falls Elementary School, located
on the community's main street.

Population and demographics

[90226] According to the 2001 census, there
were 5,862 people residing in Oliver Paipoonge, of whom 51.2% were
male and 48.8% were female. Children under five accounted for
approximately 4.9% of the resident population of Oliver Paipoonge.
This compares with 5.8% in Ontario as a whole, and almost 5.6% for
Canada overall.

In mid-2001, 9.7% of the resident population in Oliver Paipoonge
were of retirement age (65 and over for males and females) compared
with 13.2% in Canada. The average age is 37.9 years of age
comparing to 37.6 years of age for all of Canada.

In the five years between 1996 and 2001, the population of Oliver
Paipoonge declined by 0.8% compared with an increase of 6.1% for
Ontario province as a whole. Population density of Oliver Paipoonge
averaged 16.7 people per square kilometre, compared with an average
of 12.6 for Ontario altogether.

Religion

The 2001 census states that 81.2 per cent of Oliver Paipoonge
residents belong to a Christian (28.5%
Roman Catholic, 50.1% Protestant, and 2.6% other Christian, mostly
Orthodox) denomination.
Those who follow religions like Buddhism,
Judaism, Islam, and
others make up 1.5% of the population combined, while the remaining
17.3% are non-religious.

Sites of Interest

Each year Kakabeka Falls hosts a street fair, Murillo hosts the
Murillo Fall Fair, the Slate River area hosts the Slate River
Ploughing Match, and the Agriplex hosts an annual summer
fair.

There are two museums in the municipality: the Paipoonge Museum in
Rosslyn and the Pioneer Museum in the Slate River Valley.

Education

Oliver Paipoonge is served by the Lakehead District School
Board. There are three schools located in Oliver Paipoonge,
Crestview Public School in Murillo, Kakabeka Falls Public School in
Kakabeka Falls and Valley Central Public School. High schools
students are bused to Thunder Bay. A daycare centre is located in
Murillo.